Sunday, January 4

Don't Want the Holidays to End? Make Panettone French Toast

Back in Rhode Island, there was never much to look forward to after Christmas. The holiday decorations came down, it was depressingly dark by 4:30 pm, and that once-fluffy-perfect-for-sledding-snow had turned into treacherous black ice. But there was always panettone.

Panettone is an Italian sweetbread made with candied orange, zest, citron, and raisins that is closely associated with Christmas and New Year's Day. Growing up in Rhode Island, my family received a lot of panettone for Christmas because it was a go-to gift among Italians. Need a gift for your lawyer? A loaf of panettone is perfect. Invited to someone's house for coffee around the holidays? Bring panettone. Have an exceptionally good mailman? Give him a loaf of panettone, plus a shot of anisette when no one's looking. That always warms him up a bone-chillingly cold route.

Though panettone is delicious unadorned, I always preferred it toasted with a dab of butter or some orange marmalade. However, my favorite way to eat it was my mom's panettone French toast. She would cut super thick slices (because, really, where's the fun in thin French toast?), dip them in a mixture of egg, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and orange zest, then cook them until golden brown and plump. All they needed after that was a drizzle of pure maple syrup and a dusting of confectioners' sugar. And that is exactly what I'm sharing with you today.

If you didn't receive any panettone this holiday season, then go to your nearest Italian specialty market or deli and buy a loaf. Chances are they'll still have leftovers from Christmas, so you may even get one on sale. I received mine thanks to the generosity of Maryann and Joe, when I participated in their Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes in December.

Since I won't be getting fresh falling snow any time soon here in San Diego, I may have to walk over to Little Italy for another loaf of panettone. After all, winter still has a way to go.

Panettone French ToastMakes 6 large or 12 small servingsPrint recipe only here.

In a shallow bowl or pie plate, lightly whisk eggs; add milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and orange zest and whisk until well combined.

Place griddle over medium-high heat. Melt a little butter on the griddle until just coated.

Dip one slice of bread in the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip into the bowl, then place on the hot buttered griddle. Cook for 1 minute per side, or until golden brown and the egg has set. Place on a warm plate and cover until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining slices, buttering the griddle as necessary. Cut each slice into 2 triangles. Place 12 triangles of French toast on a serving platter. Drizzle with maple syrup and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve hot.

49 comments:

This sounds delicious. I usually buy a pannetone at Christmastime, but didn't this year because I was traveling. I like it toasted, too with butter, and I always make bread pudding with my leftovers! PS: I bet you had a very happy mailman ;)

I can't believe I forgot about pannetone! Since I'm in Asia, I am constantly reminded of unfamiliar ingredients like kaya (http://www.yakun.com/), a delicious coconut jam that I think would compliment pannetone really well. If you can get your hands on some, go for it! And Happy New Year :)

Susan,Proud Italian Cook, Taste w/ the Eyes and I made the same thing on Christmas morning!Great minds think alike.I still have a piece of pannetone leftover! maybe I will sneak it in one more time!Happy New Year.Stacey Snacks

Happy New Year, Susan! I've always wondered about pannetone, but after your description, I know I need to try it. It sounds so delicious! I'm curious though...is this something easy enough to make from scratch, or is it easier to buy it already made?

I LOVE panettone. I have a favourite Brazilian brand that is the best of all, I even "import it" when I cannot find it here in Seattle. However, I made a dessert with them and brought to a Xmas dinner and was surprised to find out that no one knew what a panettone was.

Here in the home territories (Rhode Island!) pannetone is still everywhere, even at our brand new Trader Joe's, which today was selling it for $5.99. I think your recipe would make a great dessert, yes?

I'm glad a REAL Italian also prefers a little dab of butter on her pannetone - I thought I was preachign heresy ;-) And I *love* the idea of making French toast with it! The loaves are always so big that you are bound to have leftovers. Thanks for the inspiration and I hope you had a fantastic festive season!

I'm more than a little bit angry that after entering your contest on 'eat-more-burgers' for free beef, that I have been INUNDATED with foreign spam email.

I get 5-6 emails each day from various foreign countries congratulating me on my lottery win & wanting my financial info so they can transfer my winnings. Since I haven't given out my email address for anything else over the last year, I must conclude that you are selling or providing access to our info.

Oh man that looks soooo good!This is the first year in a long time that I didn't buy or get a pannetone. We usually eat it on New Year's Day, and my son was asking where that fabulous bread was hiding!!Happy New Year Susan!

rita-Just think, now you've introduced a whole new group of people to it. Long live pannetone! :)

ivy-I can understand that. :)

cakespy-Even better!

veron-It will, trust me!

lorilynn-I know. I'm clearly in good company. :)

elra-It really is wonderful.

mary-Better get to an Italian deli soon then!

lydia-Even TJ's? Wow! Yes, it would make a lovely dessert. You could add a dollop of whipped cream.

maryann-I'm loving it! :)

aparna-Happy New Year! Thanks~!

usha-It was awesome. :)

dragon-It's really one of my favorites.

maris-This one is easy!

elaine-I'm sure they would!

lori-I love that silverware. :)

pigpigs-Yum, indeed!

cheesy- I know. :)

jeanne-Everything's better with butter, right? :)

joe-The French toast is making 2009 great! :)

nithya-Make it a 2009 resolution to try some then! :)

julie-That's sweet. Thanks! And Happy New Year to you too!

val-Of course, I am not selling your info to anymore. It is common knowledge that spammers search the web for email addresses. If you'll notice, most people spell out their email addresses. For ex. FoodBlogga [at] yahoo [dot] com. I am happy to delete your comment from the post. Just email me to indicate which one is yours, and I'll still keep you in the pool for the drawing.